Training emotional intelligence: Does training in basic emotional abilities help people to improve higher emotional abilities?

Based on the cascading model of EI that proposes that emotion regulation is indirectly influenced by emotion perception, we compared two training approaches. We examined whether including basic abilities when training emotion regulation (mixed approach) leads to better outcomes than training emotion regulation directly (pure approach). Participants were students of business administration and management (n = 187 and n = 127 for different analyses) who received pure, mixed, or control training. Self-report and performance-based measures of ability-based EI were collected before and after training. Multiple group SEM found that the pure approach increased participants' self-perceived ability to regulate emotions, whereas the mixed approach increased performance. These effects were stable for over 4 months. The results support the cascading model and suggest through training of more basic abilities can improve higher order abilities and that emotional abilities can improve even when they are not at the focus of a training.